Amazing Grace!

In mid December my DH rescued/bought his cousin's flock of 17 hens and a roo. I believe most of them to be black stars and reds stars, not particularly pretty birds. Their feathers were dull and they were pretty badly picked. They were given poor quality feed and no treats or medical care. One of the hens however was a lovely color slightly darker than a buff orp. She had a nice personality too. She was friendlier and more outgoing than the rest of my new additions. Sadly tho after about a week she disappeared. We assumed she had been carted off by a hawk since she wasn't yet familiar with the many hiding places provided within their yard.

Today while in the coop I was alone. All the chickens were in the yard or so I thought. I heard a scratching sound and it seemed to be coming from inside the coop. I tipped the nesting boxes forward and there she was - the missing hen! She had been trapped back there for at least 10 days!

She is in a crate in the house now and although thin seems fine! She is quite alert and is scratching about and pecking and making normal chicken sounds. I've given her some warm water with vitimins and electrolites, some warm mash and a scrambled egg. She is filthy so this afternoon or tomorrow when she is stronger she will get a sponge bath.

I have no idea how she could have gotten back there but I will be taking steps to ensure this never happens again. In the meantime my new again chicken has been given a name... Grace for it is truly amazing that she survived and only by the grace of God!

Laura

BTW the remainder of the new flock is doing great! Now that they are on good quality feed, getting oyster shell and treats their feathers are filling in and are developing a glossy sheen. They are friendlier too and look forward to treat time when I feed them by hand. Their eggs are even looking better with a smoother texture. To express their graditude they give me at least 6 eggs a day which given the cold and shorter days is outstanding!

Laura, your Grace truly does seem amazing! We too "rescued" four unwanted older red sex link hens last summer. Oh, they looked pathetic, thin, dull feathers, patchy/loose and missing feathers...not encouraging to see at all. Today, with months of pampered care and feeding, they are the standouts of our backyard flock. Some of them look much better, as you say Grace does. One earned the name "Show Girl" because of her stand out improvement. They've fattened, their feathers are full and glossy, they have great energy. They are our best and most consistent layers. I say some because "Droopy," the one we thought we were losing in August, is still a thin patchy looking girl, but she is the best layer and personality of our flock, seconded only by her sister Lolita. These little hybrids are dynamos, far surpassing our Buff O's, Bl Australorps, and Americaunas. To me, they are the pick of the litter--though no show judge would pin a ribbon on their crate. Way to go, little Grace! ~G

I have a Grace too!!!!!!!! I named her that because she was almost eaten by a fox, we heard the commotion at night and went outside (with the 3 dogs) and found found her. She was bleeding and had alot of missing feathers, her neck was dislocated. We thought she would die, but she didn't. I took 6 long weeks of spoon feeding and "physical therapy", but now she can walk, and even lay. She just has a crooked neck. I love my Gracie Grace